Many articles used in industry are exposed to harsh environments or are used in such a manner that the articles are brought into forced contact with other objects and materials. For example, tools used in a wellbore or other downhole environment in the drilling industry are often exposed to earthen formation materials, interactions with other downhole tools and components, solids-laden fluids, corrosive fluids, temperatures ranging to and beyond 150° C., and pressures ranging up to about 30,000 psi. These environments and encounters may lead to abrasion, corrosion, erosion, or other wear and resulting degradation of the surface and bulk material of the article. Where such articles are tools or industrial components, such as downhole tools and components, even minor damage to the surface of the article may cause disruption and delay to the system and/or process in which the article is used and may necessitate repairs or replacements.
Some articles comprise multiple layers of materials disposed over a substrate. For example, an article may comprise a metal layer applied to the exterior surface of an inner component to protect the inner component. Degradation of the exterior metal layer may result in the need to repair or replace the metal layer.
Various compositions and methods have been utilized to apply polymer-comprising coatings to the exterior surfaces of articles to provide protection to the articles. These compositions and methods vary greatly in substance and complexity. Examples of such compositions and/or methods are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,848, which issued Aug. 17, 2004, to McGlothlin et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,640, which issued Oct. 22, 1991, to Hegedus et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,977, which issued Dec. 10, 1985, to Memmer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,340,222, which issued Sep. 5, 1967, to Fang; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,069, which issued Jun. 6, 1967, to Koblitz et al., each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.